misadventures

hit the wall.

Melissa 7 Comments

Colin is still sick.

We spent Sunday afternoon in the emergency room again. And were sent home once again with the very helpful “Just wait it out! Its just a virus.”

“Just a virus.” Perfect.

Meanwhile, Colin has been sick for 12 days now. He is still suffering from diarrhea and throwing up every night. But, the most puzzling thing is that he is fine all day. A little more tired than usual, but happy, playing, smiling… FINE. Then between 6-9pm, it starts all over again. Another night of not sleeping, followed by another day stuck in the house.

I’ve been constantly on the verge of tears for days. I’m so so tired. We’ve had a vomiting child in our room for 13 nights now, so I haven’t had a good night sleep in about that long. So tired. And so frustrated that he’s not getting better – and so helpless because there is nothing we can do, apparently.

I feel like an over reactive mother if I keep bringing him into the doctor, but I feel like a negligent mother if I don’t.  I can’t figure out if we should trust that its a virus or push for more tests. I feel like I can’t trust my instincts anymore.

I just don’t know what to do.

I just want it to stop.

brave little man

Melissa 18 Comments

Colin and I spent today in the hospital. Last night Colin was quite sick again, then this morning was no better. So we followed doctor’s orders and took him to the ER.  Colin got his little hospital gown (“Why I have a nightgown? I a boy!”) and he was fascinated by the “riding bed.”

He was so good. SO good. Even when they couldn’t find his veins to take blood (which he did not appreciate). Even then they had to catheterize him (which he really did not appreciate). Even when they had to come take blood again and couldn’t find his veins again (which he REALLY did not appreciate). But then again, he got popsicles.

yummmm!!!

He says he liked the hospital, except for the “pokey nurses who gave me ouchies” and that it was fun because “I cuddle in Mommy lap allll day and watch cartoons.” He wouldn’t let me leave his side – I had to sit on the bed with him cuddled up to me. When the nurses had to do things, he insisted I hold his hand or he could sit in my lap. He screamed and cried, but he stayed still and let them do what they needed to and took all the meds they gave him without complaint.

He was released from the hospital late afternoon. We’re basically waiting for test results that won’t come in until tomorrow night, so we elected to wait at home. We don’t have a diagnosis yet, just a few theories (none of which I can spell) but hopefully he can beat whatever this is quickly and we can get back to normal soon.

We were overwhelmed by all the well wishes, thoughts, prayers, texts, emails, tweets, facebook messages, calls, offers of childcare, offers of meals, offers of Starbucks deliveries and the general outpouring of love we saw today. Sometimes I get so sad that we’re alone here, without family living close by. But today I was reminded that just because our family isn’t next door, we are by no means alone.

Thanks for holding my hand through this. It meant the world to me.

my poor guy

Melissa 6 Comments

Colin and I spent this morning in the doctor’s office. My poor baby has had the stomach bug for six days now. I hardly know what to do – he’s getting worse. Usually its just a 24 hour thing – but every day he is getting sicker. Last night was the worst yet. Then this morning, he was so lathargic… just laying on the floor… whimpering. So we called the doctor again and she said to come in right away.

We’re trying to force fluids on him today and if he doesn’t get better, the doctor is going to admit him to the hospital.

Hoping we can skip that.

every child must have at least one epic potty fail

Melissa 15 Comments

I should have seen it coming.

Colin has been doing so well potty training. SO WELL. He’s had virtually no accidents. I haven’t even had to remind him to go – he’s been doing it totally on his own. Our only hurdle we have left is that he isn’t a fan of the big potty. But he’s been a potty superstar all week!

But this morning. OH, THIS MORNING. Hang on. I need to gather my courage to tell you this story.

We were at Vacation Bible School doing a craft. Colin suddenly announced, “I have to go potty. I go myself.” Well, I was smart enough to know that wasn’t a good idea. I am a mom, after all.  I followed him to the bathroom, but he ran ahead of me and locked himself in the stall. I was left outside trying to break into the stall and help him on the potty.

Then I heard crying.

Then he opened the door.

Oh. My. Word.

Poop. Not just a bit of poop. A freaking huge pile of poop on the floor. I honestly have no idea how all of that was contained in his tiny body. And Colin was staying right in the middle of it. With his shoes on. With his shorts and underpants in it. (Did I mention it was during VBS? So it wasn’t our floor that was covered in poop, but a totally innocent floor that had done nothing wrong?)

My mouth just fell open. This was one of the few times in my life I have been truly speechless.

About 200 Anti-Bacterial Wet Ones later, Colin was back in VBS wearing no shoes and no pants, since I had forgotten to bring extra shorts and I certainly didn’t anticipate an extra pair of shoes. And he stayed that way for the rest of the morning.  (A few people asked me, “Why isn’t Colin wearing shoes?” And I was like, “DON’T ASK!)

Now, after a load of laundry and having to use a freaking HOSE to clean his shoes off, we are recovering. Slowly.

 

 

in the trenches of potty training

Melissa 7 Comments

On Tuesday, we declared “No More Diapers” for Colin.

We use the BabyBjorn Smart Potty - LOVE.

Tuesday was rough.

Wednesday was rougher.

I hate potty training. There are few things in life that I hate more than potty training. It is one of the few things that can bring me to tears. Not a single-tear-running-down-my-cheek tears. I mean sobbing-on-the-floor-of-the-hallway-in-frustration tears. (that was yesterday around 11am, by the way, after our fourth accident in a row.)

Today I’m feeling more confident that this might actually eventually work. Despite Colin now declaring he “hates the potty,” he now says he’s not going to have any more accidents because he doesn’t like accidents. So that’s good. He just isn’t understanding the sensation that he has to go. I can ask him, “Do you have to go potty?” And he’ll say “No” then have an accident one minute later. He’s not avoiding the potty, I really just think he doesn’t understand what ‘needing to go potty’ feels like.

I’m just exhausted. I’ve spent 3 days now asking every 2 seconds “Are you dry? Do you have to go potty?”  Colin has eaten his weight in Starburst (his reward of choice) and been chugging juice boxes (to encourage pottying). Mommy, on the other hand, has been drinking a little more wine than usual with dinner 🙂

There’s a light at the end of this tunnel, right?

kids and entitlement

Melissa 10 Comments

Colin came running up to me, all excited: “MAMA! There a Cars car and helmet on TV!”
“Wow! Cool!”
“Can you get it for me?”
“No, not right now.”

(insert tantrum.)

Seriously?

I wish I could say this happened to someone else’s kid. But, nope!  That’s all mine.

I was outraged. He has at least 30 little Cars character cars. Not to mention a Cars playtent, a Cars scooter, Cars decals on his walls, Cars tshirts, Cars underwear… and he already has a Cars helmet! And here he is, laying on the floor of the family room in tears because I will not run out this very second and buy him a Cars Powerwheels that he is too young to drive anyway!!!

How do you distinguish between a want and a need with a three year old? I have no idea. He honestly seemed to think that he was being wronged by my not running out to buy him a $300 toy! Where did this sense of entitlement come from? I had no idea how to handle this.

But this is what I did.

We went up to his room and looked at all of his toys. We looked at his big container of Cars, his other toys, his many books. We took out the Cars book that he got at Barnes and Noble on Tuesday. (He got to pick out a book because he had gone pee-pee on the potty 7 days in a row.)  We went downstairs and looked at his Cars scooter and I showed him his Cars helmet.

We talked about being thankful for the things we have. I made him tell me his favorite toys and why he likes them and is thankful for them. We remembered all the gifts he had just gotten for his birthday. Then we talked about all the children who have no toys, like the kids in Haiti that Daddy saw.  Then we talked about the car. “It was really cool, wasn’t it? But I don’t think it will work for us right now.”

By the end of all this, he was calm. He apologized for throwing a fit and gave me a kiss. And he went off to play with his toys happily.

But this scares me! I’m seeing it more and more in my kids lately. They seem  to be constantly expecting things – and I don’t really know what to do. What do you think about a ‘freeze’? Maybe all of us not buying anything we don’t need for a month?  Would that help them see what is a want and a need? Or should we focus on their allowance and being stricter about them buying ‘extras’ with their own money?

Anyone have any ideas?

overheard while standing outside the girls’ bedroom

Melissa 1 Comment

*names have been changed to protect the, um, innocent*

Girl A: “TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED!”
Girl B: “YOU TOO, YOU MEANIE!”
Girl A: “YOU’RE THE MEANIE!”
Girl B: “WELL I’M TREATING YOU THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED BECAUSE YOU’RE BEING SUCH A BIG MEANIE!!!!!!!!”

I believe this conflict was about post-it notes.

While I am bursting with pride with their use of Biblical Principles, I thik we need to have a discussion about applying those Biblical Principles, don’t you?

 

SIDEBAR: Within two minutes, they had apologized, made up and were happily playing together. The sudden bursts of drama these two sisters have positively confound me.

my digital kid

Melissa 2 Comments

Gracie has learned to read, so one of her favorite activities is spelling words for me. And she's almost always right. (Disclosure: She did not inherit the spelling gene from me.  occasionally misspell my own name.)

Grace: "Mom, I can spell calm."
Me: "Awesome! Let me hear!"
Grace: "C-O-M. Calm."
Me: "Sweetie, that's not how you spell 'calm.'"
Gracie: "Yuh-huh! DOT COM! C-O-M. COM."

I stand corrected.